


Lux et Tenebrae

by NDDR (ddrhckrzz)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 16:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16519940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddrhckrzz/pseuds/NDDR
Summary: For decades, Grimm have always been regarded as evil, but was it always that way? Jaune could only say that in his time of being a seemingly artificial Grimm hybrid, this wasn't always the case. Weiss felt the same, having a similar experience. As they learn more and more about what the Grimm truly are, the more they realize that there was more to Remnant than Humanity.





	1. Introductions Are A Must (1)

**Author's Note:**

> First draft of a RWBY Fic I'm working on for NaNoWriMo. Stick around if you wish, I'd appreciate any and all feedback/criticisms. Though be warned that this is definitely a first draft. (Also Raizel and other Noblesse elements appear much, much later.)

Beacon Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses… not exactly a place Jaune expected to find himself in after what happened at his last mission. It did beg the question though, was he even qualified to be a Hunter? Not that he didn't have the strength or skill for it, he was just worried about… the circumstances that led him to being this strong in the first place. Like, he wasn't even—

"Next! Jaune Arc, please come up to counter 2B." one of the receptionists said, making him look up from his seat and towards the said counter. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a small breath.

Now or never, he supposed.

Walking towards counter 2B, he fished for his documents from his small sling bag and handed it towards the receptionist. He watched the receptionist, a man with black hair and red eyes, waiting for any sort of reaction to what was written in the document. It didn't come. Instead, the receptionist just hummed and nodded before looking up at him. "I see that you have some live combat experience against large hoards of Grimm. What missions did you typically go on with your father?"

Jaune blinked at that, not the question he expected to hear, but he supposed it was still appropriate. "Search and destroy alongside some fortifications."

The receptionist nodded, humming to himself, "Any experience with recon?"

"Some, though off the record." Jaune replied, wondering why he still hadn't mentioned anything about his biological information.

"I see. Of these official missions of what risk level were they usually in?" the receptionist asked, glancing at the papers again for a moment.

Jaune frowned at that, his father had told him not to talk about it, but he wasn't sure if that was going to be an option here… He didn't have time to call his father, so he decided to just give the truth, sighing. Well, this was a government school still, right? It's not like this was his biggest secret or something… As he was about to speak, however, the receptionist raised a hand, handing him a pen and a piece of paper.

"Private information, I understand. Just write it down in code." the receptionist said, making Jaune blink.

That was… odd.

Still, he nodded, writing it down as code on the piece of paper. Code, being shorthand for Hunter code, was made up of dots and dashes. Seeing as most of the other aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses here would likely be unfamiliar with it, it was the safest way to transfer information. Before he wrote it down, however, he decided to convert it to a Caesar cipher just in case. Then he transcribed it in code and wrote down the number of shifts in the bottom right corner of the paper—also in code. Couldn't hurt to be careful, after all.

The receptionist looked at it, and nodded, not even fazed. "I see. Thank you for your cooperation, Jaune Arc. You may now proceed to the Bullhead." he said, gesturing to the landing pads where the Bullheads were stationed at.

Jaune nodded, turning to walk towards the Bullhead. As he was walking away, however, he noticed that he still held a piece of paper in his hand. Surprised, he looked down at it and was about to go back to the receptionist to give it back, but then he looked at it's contents.

'Good luck, Jaune Arc. Your secret is safe with us.'

Jaune frowned, glancing back to the counter for a moment, but then seeing as the receptionist had already gone back to his job, he sighed and shook his head. So they did notice. He continued his walk towards the Bullhead, the odd-looking airship, deciding that he might as well just do his best to stay as… normal as possible, he supposed.

He knew they'd have noticed it eventually, they'd probably already known about it for a long time, even, but… to think that they wouldn't really care about it all that much… He just became confused.

He walked into the Bullhead, going inside and seeing all the other aspiring Hunters around his age, and decided to head towards one of the darker corners of the bullhead. If he could avoid it, he'd rather not be noticed too early. Not that there was anything to really reveal his secret just from looking at him, but he just didn't want to be the center of attention. It was against his nature, really.

The feeling awoke from inside him again, making him sigh and close his eyes as he did his best to suppress it. Suppress that abhorrently inhumane nature of his.

It would be bad too, if he were to ever unleash it, being inside a vehicle which held a large number of Hunters.

After all, he was the very thing they swore to destroy. A Grimm.

* * *

He opened his eyes again when they arrived at Beacon Academy, he watched as they all hurriedly went outside the Bullhead. He let out a small breath as he discreetly managed to insert himself in the horde of students going out, looking up when he managed to finally get out, hearing other people's gasps.

Some were even saying that this was better than what they've seen in those books. He didn't quite agree with that, but sure. He didn't take in the sights for too long, instead deciding to go towards the auditorium as soon as he could, at least, as soon as he could while walking there.

He only got to the fountain, before something already moved to slow him down. That is, a girl seemed to be on her way to breaking a large number of property owned by the SDC, and, since he was close enough to the scene already, he might as well help out in any way he can. He didn't want to be a prick after all, especially not to the white-haired heiress, Weiss Schnee, who was just over there, in her trademark white and red bolero jacket with the SDC logo in it.

As the red-cloaked girl continued to spin dizzily towards the large number of suitcases on the trolleys, he grabbed her shoulders and straightened her to stand up-right. As the girl was dizzily mumbling things to herself, he kept her standing still, her eyes starting to clear up again.

"E-Eh?" the girl with the red cloak and dark red hair looked at me with wide eyes, confused, looking back and forth to him and the suitcases behind her.

Her eyes… were silver. Why did that push his Grimm nature to the point of him being unable to control it? Regardless, he grit his teeth and let out a long breath, before smiling at her.

The feeling subsided. But still… what was it with her eyes that… scared him so?

"A-Ah!" the girl said, jumping away from his hold, with him letting her go, "S-Sorry! I really didn't mean it! I-I just, my sister was just here but then she left me in a cloud of dust so—" she said, starting to ramble.

Jaune frowned at this, raising a hand up, "Actually… you should be apologizing to her. You nearly destroyed a large amount of… well, her Dust." he said, pointing to Weiss who was staring at them both.

"Oh! Right, uh… Sorry again! I  _really_  didn't mean it, it's just that my sister was just there and then—" the girl started rambling again, and he heard Weiss audibly sigh, making the girl stop suddenly, "Oh… ah… sorry about that…" she said with an apologetic smile on her face.

Weiss nodded, "It's alright. I suppose I'll have to be glad that nothing bad happened. You're forgiven…" she started, giving the cloaked girl the cue to introduce herself.

Luckily, the girl was able to pick it up, "My name's Ruby! Ruby Rose!" the cloaked girl said happily, making Jaune smile for a moment.

Just a moment.

Weiss nodded again, "Right. Thank you for preventing a disaster from occuring, Jaune." she said, looking at him.

Jaune raised a brow, surprised that she somehow still remembers him. "Of course, Miss Schnee." he said, nearly bowing, before he stopped himself, "Ah—I mean: You're welcome, Weiss. Sorry, habits are just a bit…"

Weiss chuckles briefly, nodding, "I understand. Regardless, I have to go along, my Dust, as you put it, will have to be placed somewhere safer for everyone involved."

Jaune smiled at that, "Yeah. We'll see you later." he said, waving as she walked away, her luggage in tow.

He frowned a bit though, as he noticed something odd about her.

What had once been a very human Aura around her… had suddenly disappeared. Almost as though it was consumed by some darker Aura…

He'll have to see when he meets her again, he supposed.

He just hoped it wasn't what he thought it was, which was all too possible considering Jacques…

"So you two know each other?" Jaune blinked as he suddenly remembered that the red cloaked girl, Ruby, was still there.

He shrugged a bit. "In a way, yes. I worked for her once before."

"Ooh…" Ruby said in wonder, and he felt just a bit uncomfortable under her gaze, though he pushed that away.

She didn't know that he was a Grimm. He's still okay.

She looked around for a bit before turning to him with a sheepish face. It made him raise a brow.

"What is it?" he asked,

"Well… do you know where to go? Ehehe…" she said, nervously.

Jaune looked at her with a frown, before nodding. "Yes, follow me to the auditorium then." he said, walking ahead of her.

At least, he was about to before he realized he forgot something, so he turned to Ruby and smiled with a hand out to her.

"Oh, right. The name's Jaune. Jaune Arc." And so began his life in Beacon.

He just hoped that he doesn't fuck it up this time.

* * *

Weiss placed her suitcases into her locker and frowned as she realized just how much she'd brought with her.

If she were being practical here, she would barely even need four suitcases of Dust with her, and yet she'd brought enough to fill up her locker… Myrtenaster used up a fair bit of Dust, sure, but not enough to warrant her bringing all this Dust to Beacon.

… It's not because of that, is it?

She sighed to herself as she closed her eyes for a moment.

Right, she wasn't exactly human anymore, after all. She clenched her fists as she remembered just what they'd done to her. Just what they'd… Regardless of all that, would it truly matter if she was stronger than usual here?

It didn't really matter, did it? In a way it would probably be better for her… As long as she doesn't use that form.

She closed her locker and was about to go out of the locker rooms when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Oh! Hello again Weiss!" Ah, Pyrrha.

Weiss turned around and smiled at her, "Hello as well, Pyrrha. It seems you have gone to Beacon after all."

Pyrrha chuckled at this, walking towards her, "Yes. It was quite hard dealing with everyone, but at the very least they were all respectful. A nice change of pace from everything in Mistral."

Weiss nodded, "That is true, shall we head to the auditorium then?" she offered, and Pyrrha nodded, so they started to walk to the auditorium.

The walk was mostly silent, but eventually, Pyrrha said something, "You seem a bit different, Weiss."

Weiss twitched a bit at that, forcing herself to calm down. "Oh? And why's that?" it's not like Pyrrha would find out that easily anyways…

"You seem more… reserved. Did anything happen in the past year?" Pyrrha asked, and Weiss nearly paused again.

Weiss just gave a weak chuckle, "I suppose you can say that." That's all she left it at, and Pyrrha seemed content with it at least.

"I see. Well, have you met some new people here at least? Anyone interesting?" Pyrrha asked, and this time, Weiss blinked.

Well… now that she says that… "I actually have. His name is Jaune Arc. He's actually worked with us before, he and his father, I mean." Weiss said, furrowing her brows as she noticed the empty dark aura around him…

"Ah, the Arc and Schnee do go way back. What did you find interesting?" Pyrrha asked, making Weiss look at her for a moment, to which Pyrrha just smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, if you're not comfortable with answering that…" Weiss was actually more uncomfortable with the fact that Pyrrha was asking so many things, but she didn't say that out loud.

Instead, Weiss hummed, "Not that I'm uncomfortable with it, I simply feel as though it wouldn't be right for me to speak of what could very well be his secret." she said, telling a half-truth.

She did know one thing about Jaune, he was unnaturally strong, and if the aura around him was indicative enough, then he was also similar to her.

Grimm. Or, as they'd called it, a Grimm hybrid.

It was only odd how he didn't seem to give much of any reaction to her… he didn't know about it, did he?

Or perhaps he was also…

"Ah. I'm sorry for asking then." Pyrrha said as they arrived at the auditorium.

They stayed around the back, though Weiss did manage to catch where Jaune was. When she looked at him, however, he immediately turned to face her.

She continued to stare at him, and he continued to do so as well.

Eventually, they broke eye contact when the headmaster started to speak.

"I'll keep this brief." Headmaster Ozpin started, immediately silencing everyone in the room. "Many of you have traveled here today in search of… different things. Some, for knowledge, some others, for strength and power, some others, to follow their dreams, and even some, to find a new beginning." he started, and Weiss felt his gaze on her when he said that last part, it made her frown. "Regardless of what you aim for, you all think you'd find it here. And on that, I cannot assure you of. You all have your own assumptions on what you need to attain such goals… you'll also find that many of you are wrong. And when that time comes… it will be up to you to take the first step."

That was all the Headmaster said, before leaving the auditorium and letting Glynda, the assistant, takeover.

The crowd of aspiring students were left more silent than they had before, Weiss could also notice that some of the few upper years were surprised. As though, Ozpin had never spoken those words before…

Before she and the others could think more on this however, Glynda spoke up.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." with those words, the students all started to disperse, some talking with each other about how odd the Headmaster was.

She didn't care for it, but she did notice how Ruby, Jaune and the blonde girl who could only be assumed to be Ruby's sister walking towards her and Pyrrha.

Weiss blinked, "Yes?" she asked, wondering what they could want from her.

Ruby smiled, waving at her and Pyrrha, "Hey Weiss! I just wanted you to meet my sister, Yang!" she said, presenting the blonde girl with her arms.

"Nice to meet ya' Weiss! Name's Yang Xiao Long! The hottest girl in town, literally!" Yang said, introducing herself with a grin while holding a hand out.

Weiss shook Yang's hand, "Nice to meet you, Yang." Weiss said, realizing that she probably should have let Yang take the lead in their shaking of hands when she saw her widened eyes. Regardless, she introduced Pyrrha as well, out of courtesy. "I suppose you've seen her already, but this is Pyrrha Nikos. I've met her in the few times I've been in Mistral."

"Hello!" Pyrrha waved at them with a smile.

"This is Ruby Rose—" Weiss said, pointing to Ruby,

"Hi!" Ruby waved enthusiastically,

"And this is Jaune Arc." Weiss said, pointing to Jaune,

"Nice to meet you, Pyrrha." Jaune said, nodding, before turning to look at the growing crowd around them—specifically, around Pyrrha. Something which Weiss noticed, "Guess we'll have to get out of here…" he muttered, and Weiss nodded.

"Let's go." Weiss said, glaring at the crowd which made them back away.

When they got out of the auditorium, they started to go their separate ways.

"Ruby and I are going to prepare our bedrolls, so see ya guys later!" Yang said, waving at Weiss and the others before pulling Ruby with her.

Weiss then looked to Pyrrha who hummed to herself before nodding. "I suppose I'll have to do that as well. How about you, Weiss, Jaune?"

Weiss frowned and looked over to Jaune, who had a frown on his face as well, "I'll do it later." then he looked to Weiss.

She narrowed her eyes before she turned to Pyrrha, "I have a few things I need to check up on, so I'll have to do it later."

Pyrrha frowned, but nodded at that, looking between her and Jaune, "Very well, I'll see the two of you later." Weiss nodded as Pyrrha walked away.

And with that, Weiss and Jaune were the only two standing outside the auditorium.

"So you wanted to speak with me, Weiss?" Jaune said, straight to the point as ever.

Weiss nodded, "Yes. I just have a few questions."

Jaune seemed to sigh at that, making her turn to him with a glare. He just smiled, "It was your mother, wasn't it?"

All at once, she froze, eyes widening at his words. "H-How?!"

Jaune sighed and shrugged, "She was the one who hired us. But…" he looked around, and muttered to himself, "We should probably go to a less crowded area."

Weiss frowned at that before nodding her head. "Alright." she said, following him as they went somewhere in Beacon.

She was about to ask if he even knew the way around here, but considering that he follows his father whenever he takes missions… he'd have been bound to come here at some point.

She didn't expect him to continue speaking as they were walking though, "As I said, she was the one who hired us, but she had also been checking up on me for a long time."

"Oh? That's…" disgusting, she wanted to say, but then again her mother wasn't exactly the sanest out there. Sadly she found that out far too late. Whitley wasn't kidding…

"Yeah. I couldn't really do anything against it either. Neither could my father, since we had no evidence against her." Jaune said, grimacing. "It was a pretty horrible experience, as you would already know."

Weiss knew. She'd been turned into a hybrid in just a month after all... "... Yeah. I'm sorry."

"It's not like you knew, or could have done anything." Jaune replied.

"Right." Weiss replied, frowning to herself. They passed by the courtyard where there were a number of people just lounging around and exploring the Academy. It was rather peaceful, she noted. Eventually, the two of them found a small table in the garden with two chairs in it. Just a few paces away from the gazebo.

"Let's sit here." Jaune said, and they sat down. "So, what were your questions?" he asked, as she looked down at her hands in her table.

Eventually, Weiss looked up, "What do you mean by being checked up on? Were you another hybrid?"

"Yes. But not made by your mother. Someone related to her, however." Jaune said,

"Who? A Schnee?" Weiss asked, unsure of the identities of any possible bastards her grandfather had.

"No. Geshal." Jaune said,

"But they're dead." Weiss said, furrowing her brows.

"Yes." Jaune nodded, "All but Merlot."

"Mountain Glenn didn't kill him?" Weiss asked, raising a brow and Jaune scoffed.

"With a guy as insane as him? No, it wouldn't have been enough. He'd planned for the fall, actually." Jaune said, sounding almost bitter,

"What?!" Weiss said, eyes widening as she stood up for a moment. Jaune just shook his head, as though he didn't want to talk about it, she respected it and sat back down. "So, what's the difference between us?

"I'm not really sure, as we're both hybrids technically. Your mother must have improved some things for you. Although, judging from how you still have free will…" Jaune muttered,

"That sequence simply failed. Dr. Polendina also had a help with making sure that nothing went wrong." Weiss said,

"I see…" Jaune nodded, "As for me, I just had to physically remove the chip from my body."

"Oh." Weiss blinked, "I see." she didn't even bother to ask more about it. She didn't want to think about it. "Well then, why did you come to Beacon? Couldn't you just get a Hunter's License yourself through all the missions you've done with your father? Why go here?"

Jaune laughed at that, scratching the back of his head, "Yeah, I could, but… my dad didn't really give me much of a choice."

"Oh?" Weiss raised a brow.

"He forced me to go here. Told me how I needed to make friends my age and all that. Also said I needed to be in some place more 'normal' for me." Jaune said, chuckling,

"That's nice of your father." Weiss said, smiling.

"Yeah, it is." Jaune smiled, before he frowned at her, "So how about you?" he asked, curious.

"Well, after the whole event with my mother and me becoming… this, I decided that I wanted to at least pursue my dream and to use this power for something good." Weiss said, looking up at the sky, noticing how it was starting to become noon, "The only question I have now is how long this will last."

"Why Beacon and not Atlas?" Jaune asked, making her look at him,

"Why Beacon and not Haven?" Weiss asked in turn, smiling.

"Touchè." Jaune smiled in turn.

Weiss chuckled, "Well, I chose Beacon for one reason only…"

"Oh?" Jaune said, raising a brow,

"In the moments before my mother was imprisoned, she kept cursing one name, and one name only." Weiss smiled,

And, to be honest, she was also quite surprised to learn about this, but when she did, she knew that she had to go to Beacon immediately.

"Ozpin."


	2. Introductions Are A Must (2)

The shattered moon looked brighter than usual, Jaune noted, before looking down to take in the view of being up at the top of the Headmaster's tower. It was rather difficult to get up to where he was now, but seeing Beacon like this at night… He thought it was worth it. It was certainly beautiful.

Hearing a small thud beside him, he turned to see Weiss. He blinked at her before smiling, "So how did it go?"

"As well as you would expect, I suppose." Weiss said, sitting down at the other side of the tower. "Is that how he always is?"

Jaune turned away to look at the rest of Beacon. "Needlessly vague and dodgy? Yeah, that's certainly how he is a lot of the time…" he muttered, leaning back a bit. "Still, he usually has a reason for it."

Weiss sighed, "I suppose all I can do now is wait…"

"Yeah… not like there's much else you can do." Jaune said, and there was a moment of silence.

Weiss broke that silence, "Do you not want to know more about Merlot?"

Jaune paused at that, looking up at the shattered moon. He frowned, "What's the point?"

"I…"

"It's not like all our problems can be solved just by asking him to revert the process. If it's even possible at all—and if it even  _was_  possible, so what? Go back to the normal life we've always lived through? Sorry, but… I don't even remember what's normal at this point." Jaune said, sighing as he finished. "I don't judge you for what you're doing, Weiss, I'm just not personally invested in this."

"And yet you follow me still." Weiss pointed out, Jaune couldn't help but smile at that.

"Well… it's not like I have anywhere else to really go, honestly." Jaune said, smiling softly. "I'm different from everyone, even from you. I can't control myself as easily as you can, Weiss. I wouldn't know what I'd do in that room if I get woken up suddenly…" he trailed off, not feeling the need to explain why.

"... Do you really think I'm that much different from you?" Weiss asked, making him turn to her, where he stared into her sky blue eyes. "I'm a replicant of you, yes, but I'm not necessarily an upgrade either." The two of them stared at one another for a few seconds more, before she slowly turned to watch over Beacon again, "My mother tried, countless of times, I believe. The pain… it was unbearable, both on my mind and my body. But… in the end, she failed. I'm not that much better than you. Don't fool yourself into thinking that I'm an upgraded version of you. We're humans, not androids. There's a difference."

Jaune blinked at that. Well… that does make more sense, he supposed. He turned to look over Beacon again, chuckling slightly as he did. "I guess you're right." he muttered,

"By the way," Weiss started, making him glance at her as she looked at him with a neutral face. "It's rather obvious that you were lying lately, you know?"

Jaune laughed at that, "Yeah, you would have figured that out."

"I'm sure you have your reasons." Weiss continued, "So I'm not going to ask, but… I'll be here if you wish to talk about it, I suppose."

Jaune just stared at her, looking for any hints of her being insincere, but he didn't find any. He just sighed, "I'll keep that in mind… But why does it matter to you anyway?"

Weiss blinked this time, "What do you mean? I thought it would be quite obvious to you."

"What? Why would it be?"

"Because you were the one that taught me this." Weiss said, smiling at him, "Do you not remember? When you told me… that no matter our differences, no matter the situation… we will always have something in common. And that makes us friends." she said, smiling fondly,

"That's…" Jaune blinked,

"Rather cheesy, isn't it? But those were your words. Thinking about it now… it makes me wonder how I hadn't figured it out before when you worked for us."

"Your father and mother were clear about making sure that I keep my distance." Jaune muttered, "But that's odd… how long has that been?"

"Around a decade ago… Surprising, right?" Weiss said, smiling at him. The kind of smile that would make him pause.

Still, he chuckled and shook his head, "Yeah. You're right." Jaune said, smiling back. After a moment, he turned to look over Beacon again, "Although... I have a feeling we'll find something soon."

* * *

"It is said that the first step is always the most difficult one to take, and so today, you shall be evaluated based on how you take it." Ozpin said, before Glynda took over. Jaune found Ozpin's words a bit odd, if not worrying, he wasn't usually this vague.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams." Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Glynda said, and Jaune recalled what Weiss had been talking about lately in the locker rooms.

Teams huh. It's odd, the way they talk about it, they talk of it as though they're permanent ones, it made him wonder what was the case with his dad… He certainly never stuck with just one team…

"What? Oh…" Ruby said from his right, making him glance at her momentarily. She certainly seemed worried after hearing Weiss' words lately.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin said, making Ruby groan. Jaune just patted her shoulder and smiled encouragingly, making her look at him with a grateful smile and a nod of thanks.

Regarding what Ozpin said, however… it made Jaune even more confused about his father and the Hunters he'd worked with before. Did they not go through Hunter Academies or something? As far as he could imagine, these teams would be with them far longer than Beacon, especially if their bond together would be anything to note of. Although… it wasn't exactly unheard of for teams to break apart after graduation. Perhaps that's what happened…

"That being said," Ozpin's voice shook Jaune out of his own thoughts, and he looked to him again, "The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years." And for a brief moment, Jaune noticed a small smirk in Ozpin's face as he took a sip off his cup of hot chocolate.

Most of the students were, understandably, surprised. "What?!" Most of all, Ruby.

Though someone seemed to be happy, "See Ren I told you!" Jaune heard some girl say from a few ways away, but he didn't let that distract him, he looked ahead of himself and took a deep breath, turning to Ozpin to see what else he'd say.

Ozpin met Jaune's gaze, before looking at the others again, "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." Ozpin stressed those last three words with a serious voice, before smiling. "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Nobody said a word, "Good. Now take your positions."

Jaune stepped forward and stood on the platform along with everyone else, he looked around one last time, seeing Yang grin beside him, to which he replied with a smile of his own, and seeing Ruby on the other side, he saw how focused she was, though a bit nervous still.

Jaune chuckled and patted Ruby's shoulder again, "Don't worry too much. You can do it, I'm sure."

Ruby blinked at that, turning to him before grinning fiercely, "Yeah! Thanks a lot Jaune!"

"No problem, Ruby." Jaune said, nodding at her before focusing back in front of him.

Emerald Forest. He'd been here before and he knows just how dangerous it is, though, seeing as he wasn't exactly fully human, the Grimm itself didn't pose too much of a threat, if, at all. There were other things that made this place dangerous, however… but luckily they weren't going there. This was an initiation meant for incoming first years, so they were on the safe side of the Emerald Forest.

That didn't mean he would be careless, but it did ease him a bit. Though if someone ever met up with a Griffin, or worse, a Minotaur, then he'd definitely have to take care of them quickly. As far as he knew, he'd be the only one really capable of taking care of them, Weiss, probably, but… no she can definitely handle it if her past performance was any indication.

Still, he didn't feel that it would be necessary, oddly enough. Something else, though…

"Mr. Arc." Ozpin shook him from his thoughts once more, and he looked at the Headmaster,

"Yes, sir?" Jaune asked, finding that, somehow, he was the only one left standing in the platforms. Had it been randomized, or…?

"Watch the Grimm. There is something troubling happening to them in the forest." Ozpin said, making Jaune narrow his eyes,

"Troubling…" Jaune muttered, before he felt the platform below him begin to move, he glanced at Ozpin and Glynda one last moment before he got launched up in the air, pushing against the platform with his dark aura.

Now, he just narrowed his eyes, wondering what Ozpin meant by his words.

What could possibly bother Ozpin so much that not even  _he_  can do anything about it?

… Guess Jaune will just have to see it for himself.

* * *

When Weiss landed on the Emerald Forest, her first thought was on how the Grimm acted here. Back in Atlas, they'd reacted in a cautious way to her, here, she wasn't quite sure of that. It did make her wonder if Grimm had different cultures in different regions… did Grimm even have culture? She didn't know, she never really asked about that...

Regardless, she walked North after reorienting herself a bit. She'd landed in a fairly forested area, much, much farther than the others due to her… well, abilities, and now she wasn't quite sure if she was too far ahead or if she wasn't close enough.

Hearing a small growl, she turned to her right. Just ahead of her, near one of the trees, was a lone Beowolf wandering all the way out here. A scout? There was no doubt that Grimm would have heard her landing from a few kilometers away. She meant for it to be that way, after all.

 _"Who… are you…"_  the Beowolf growled out in its odd language, Latio. Weiss understood this, what with it being an odd effect from her being a Grimm Hybrid. She could speak it too, though it was unnecessary since she'd learned that the Grimm actually did understand human language.

Even still, Weiss spoke in Latio for courtesy's sake. Grimm weren't mindless, after all.  _"Weiss Schnee. A student of Beacon Academy. I am looking for the relics, do you know where they are?"_

The Beowolf narrowed its eyes at her,  _"Weiss Schnee… so they were right. I suppose… fate does bring an odd twist to things."_  What?

 _"What do you mean?"_  Weiss asked, narrowing her eyes this time as the Beowolf merely grinned.

 _"What I mean, young Schnee, is that you are neither the first, nor the last. An odd choice, considering they chose you, but I suppose it only makes sense…"_  the Beowolf said, confusing her even more. The Lycan she'd spoken to in Atlas never spoke like this. Never said these words… were they hiding it this whole time?  _"Ah… so you don't know then? I guess you've never travelled far into the Alps… The Lycans there would have been able to tell you of all this. The young ones were always ignorant, after all…"_

Weiss just stared at the Beowolf, frowning,  _"So, do you know where the relics are?"_

The Beowolf made a strange noise, akin to that of a chuckle, but it sounded… rather distorted,  _"If by relics you mean the small artifacts that the Humans had put down, then yes, certainly. They are nothing compared to the actual relics, but… Ah. I speak too much. But still, do you not want to find a partner first? I heard that it's quite vital in your performance…"_

Weiss stared again, continuing to frown,  _"And how would you know where I'll find one?"_  As though on cue, there was a howl heard behind the Beowolf,

The Grimm simply bared its teeth, as though it was grinning,  _"I know many things, dear monarch."_


	3. Introductions Are A Must (3)

Jaune watched the Beowolf in front of him as it kneeled to him. At this point, he didn't even ask, seeing as they were insistent on respecting his presence.

His presence, which even until now he still didn't quite understand. His father was certainly reluctant to speak of it. His mother, even more so.

If only his grandfather was still…

 _"And here we are, young Schnee."_  Jaune looked up as he heard the familiar voice of a certain Beowolf, finding that he wasn't alone, bringing Weiss along with him.

Jaune and Weiss made eye contact, before blinking. Then, he turned to the Beowolf, "Lancelot, you certainly have a knack at being useful. Had you known I would be landing here?"

 _"Hmm… perhaps. A certain bird had told me of it, after all."_  Lancelot, the Beowolf, said, looking as though he was grinning. Jaune couldn't really tell, though from the subtle teeth being shown in the sides of his maw… well, that would make sense.

"I see." Jaune muttered, before turning to Weiss, "So I guess we're partners, huh?" he said, smiling.

Weiss stared at him for a second, before nodding, "I suppose so." she turned to Arthur and stared at him, "Lancelot… an interesting name."

 _"Of course, it was one given to me by the Lord Arc, after all."_  Lancelot said, making Weiss turn to Jaune.

Jaune just shook his head at her raised brow, "Not me, it was my great great great grandmother apparently." he said, making Weiss frown. "I don't understand either, honestly…"

Weiss hummed at that, nodding, "Well then, shall we head to where the relics are then? It would be best if we finished Initiation soon."

Jaune nodded, before pausing, "Yes… but I have something I wish to ask of you, Lancelot." he said, turning to face the Beowolf, staring into its red eyes, "What's been happening to the Grimm in this forest?"

For a moment, Lancelot said nothing, only staring back at him. The other Beowolf turned to Lancelot, seemingly worried. Then, Lancelot smiled,  _"Of course the Wizard would use you for this...'"_  Lancelot said, chuckling,  _"If you wish to know, my Lord, then I believe it would be best if you see it for yourself."_

Jaune looked at Lancelot with a frown, staring for a few seconds before sighing and looking at his scroll. "I suppose we have time for it…"

"Jaune? What is this about?" Weiss asked, making him turn to her, seeing her narrowed eyes.

He supposed it wouldn't hurt. "Ozpin told me about something. Something was happening to the Grimm in the Emerald Forest, I wanted to see what he meant about it."

"... you think this might have something to do with Merlot?" Weiss asked, glancing at the Grimm for a moment,

Jaune did the same, "I'm not sure… Lancelot, do you think it has something to do with Merlot?"

Lancelot looked at him before turning to Weiss, who was staring at him as well, after a few seconds, the Beowolf seemed to sigh,  _"Yes, it is quite certain to be Merlot who is behind this. However, it's been rather difficult for most humans to investigate these areas."_

"What? Why?" Jaune blinked, confused, what could possibly stop Ozpin's agents from investigating this?

 _"There's a… barrier preventing those with Aura from detecting anything in the area."_  Lancelot explained, looking down with his eyes closed,  _"The area itself is full of cages and androids, so far we haven't encountered any humans. But…"_

 _"Please! My Lord, you must help us, they've been taking our brothers in their cages—the Nevermores too! They—"_  the other Beowolf suddenly rushed to speak, bowing deeply as he grabbed onto Jaune's leg.

Lancelot hurriedly, pushed the other Beowolf away from Jaune,  _"Ignatius you impertinent fool! Don't speak to the Lord in such a manner!"_

_"I—Forgive me, my Lord! But please, my brothers need your help! The Androids are beyond what we can handle, it's—"_

Jaune frowned as he looked at the Beowolf asking for his help. He knew they were weak, but could they possibly be that weak even with their sheer numbers? They mentioned the Nevermores as well… What could it possibly be that they couldn't handle?

He looked at Weiss for a moment, she seemed to share a conflicted look with him, before looking to the Beowolves again.

He grit his teeth and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. When he opened them, he looked to Lancelot, "Lancelot, what kind of problem is it that you all can't deal with by your numbers?"

Lancelot paused at that, seemingly unsure of how to answer,  _"Ah… a difficult question, my lord…"_

Ignatius, the other Beowolf, seemed to answer that one instead,  _"Our numbers are low, my Lord, they're sacrificing those that wish to follow you instead of her Majesty, the Queen. We… we simply wish to follow in our former Lord Arc's ideals to have Grimm coexist with Humanity. I—"_

 _"Ignatius shut up!"_  Lancelot suddenly growled out, placing a stern clawed hand on Ignatius' shoulder,  _"This... This is_ _ **not**_   _something the young Lord should be involved in. We cannot let her know!"_

_"What are you talking about? She knows already! This will change nothing—we cannot lose any more men, Lancelot, and if the Lord accepts then—"_

"Stop." Jaune said, glaring at them both and silencing them. "I believe it would be best if you both let  _me_  speak for a moment." He said, and he could feel his dark aura seeping outwards, "Now, what is this about not getting me involved? I believe it was your idea, Lancelot, that I should go there to see what's happening for myself. What changed your mind?"

Lancelot stood there for a few seconds saying nothing, before he finally stepped forward and bowed to Jaune.  _"I'm sorry, my Lord, but… I feel as though it would be difficult to tell this to you—"_

 _"Then just cut to the chase and tell me why I'm not supposed to go there!"_  Jaune growled, feeling his dark aura expanding to them, nearly covering the floor around them in darkness. He calmed down before it was too late, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "Now, Lancelot, cut straight to the chase and tell me why."

 _"Y-Yes, my Lord."_  Lancelot said, this time bowing deeply before looking up at Jaune,  _"As Ignatius had spoken of lately, her Majesty is the one who had commanded for the rebels to be thrown into Merlot's experiments. If her Majesty finds out of your involvement, we won't be certain about the safety of either you or those you are involved with. We cannot let that happen, the former Lord would never want that for her grandson."_

 _"B-But Lancelot, if we lose our men now, we'll lose control of Vale! Worse yet, all the four Kingdoms barring the Grimmlands…"_  Ignatius said, and Lancelot just growled,

 _"You idiot…"_  Lancelot muttered,  _"Do you really think that there's nothing we can do here?"_

_"But Lancelot! If we lose hold of Vale, we lose sight of the Wizard! He's the only one that can—"_

"I think I've heard enough." Jaune muttered, looking at both Beowolves. "Weiss, I'm going to follow them to see what's happening, what will you do?" he asked, turning to look at Weiss.

Weiss looked at him with narrowed eyes, "What will I do? Jaune, this is dangerous, if you think that I'm just going to let you go follow these Grimm to your death, then you're wrong. I'm your partner, not some grunt who'll just follow your orders." she said, frowning.

Jaune chuckled, "I'm not going to die for this Weiss, I have a plan." Weiss went silent at that, so he turned to the Beowolves, "You said if she found out if I interfered, right?" he asked,

 _"Yes, my lord, but…"_  Lancelot muttered, almost nervous.

"Then I'll just watch." Jaune finished, smiling.

* * *

Ozpin took a sip off his mug, staring over the distance of the Emerald Forest, seeing a Nevermore fly towards their direction.

An Arc and a Schnee under him… it's not the first time, certainly, but it's not exactly in the way he expected it either. He'd had them as Huntsmen and Huntresses, and while they're training to be that they…

Ozpin sighed and shook his head. No, he was looking too far ahead. At times, he was acting just like how he'd once been. That incarnation was certainly interesting… Regardless, he wasn't sure of what the future would hold, so he stood content to watch for now.

"Ozpin." Glynda spoke his name, something that wasn't common of her to do unless… "I believe you may want to listen to this…"

"If it is about what is happening in the Grimm-infested areas—"

"It isn't, sir." Ozpin narrowed his eyes slightly, he didn't want to hear this. "They're telling Mr. Arc and Ms. Schnee of their heritage and their…" Glynda then paused, and he wouldn't blame her, he'd just downed his mug of choco in one go after all.

Ozpin then sighed, "I suppose it was only a matter of time." he muttered, "Get Mrs. Arc on the line, this is a matter that can only proceed by her—" he paused, noticing the dark Aura that was quickly pooling around the area. He frowned, moving to stand in front of Glynda and forming a barrier with his Aura just in time for the darkness to intensify in front of him.

Then it exploded outwards, nearly breaking his barrier, but it stood. Stood against all logic.

He'd been spared, after all.

By the one person whose name would be close to Salem's herself, Agnes Arc. The dark Aura dispersed, revealing a woman whose blonde hair shone as bright as the sun, yet was fiercely contrasted by the darkness of her armor, and her eyes… those unmistakably red eyes.

"Hello, Ozpin… I believe I specifically told you to tell me of any  _ **interesting**_  new that could surround my son,  _ **Jaune Arc**_ , and yet… your message had arrived late. And now my dear messenger has told me that my son, had been partnered up with a  _ **Schnee**_ , and now they are on their way to investigate some Grimm problem from  _your_   _ **orders?!**_ " Agnes said, walking closer and closer to Ozpin before placing her right hand dangerously close to his neck. "Now… I believe you owe me an explanation before I tear down this school myself."

A terrifying woman, she was.


	4. Introductions Are A Must (4)

Jaune paused for a moment, glancing towards the Beacon cliffs for a moment, noticing a dark energy there. "Mother…" he muttered under his breath before shaking his head and turning back to the Nevermore that landed for them.

He looked to Weiss who was on the Nevermore already and jumped to stand beside her, nodding to Lancelot and Ignatius who were by the shoulders of the Nevermore. They said something to the Nevermore before they took off and went even deeper into the Emerald Forest.

 _"Young Lords, I would recommend you both to turn to your Grimm forms to avoid any possible problems within the barrier…"_  Lancelot said as he turned towards them.

Jaune nodded and turned to Weiss with a smile, "Well then, would you like to go first, partner?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "If you insist." she said, stretching her right arm out before snapping her fingers, a dark glyph forming beneath her, one that started to bathe her in a dark smoke, the smoke got closer and closer to her form, and in a sudden swirl of darkness, Weiss looked different. Particularly, her clothes, which seemed mostly similar, though now different in design. Instead of a bolero jacket with a combat skirt, she now wore a simple black long-sleeved cloak. Weiss turned to look at her clothes for a moment before clicking her tongue, making the cloak disappear in a gust of smoke and revealing her simple black suit that had a black skirt instead of pants, all of which had light blue patterns—the Schnee Family Symbol also being engraved on her breast pocket—that had been under the cloak. Although her hair did stay it's pure white color, flowing freely alongside the dark aura emanating out of her.

She then turned to Jaune, who just smiled and nodded, "Alright." he grinned, stretching his arm out to the left and staring ahead, he closed his eyes, feeling the dark aura start to form around him from his original aura, whitish yellow turning to pure black… He summoned his form, feeling everything and nothing all at once. When he opened his eyes, he knew that it was not the deep blue most people had known him for, it was now the bright blood red that was indicative of many Grimm. And, as with his clothes, it was similar to the suit which Weiss wore a black suit, though instead he had pants rather than a skirt, and instead of the light blue patterns, it was all yellow, and lastly he had his own family's symbol engraved on his breast pocket similarly to Weiss' own.

He turned to Weiss and grinned, "So, how did I look?" he asked,

Weiss rolled her eyes, "What's your plan here?" she asked, gesturing to the area they were landing on.

Jaune frowned, "Watch. I can't interfere right? So that's all I'll be doing." he said, and Weiss just stared at him for a second before nodding, then they went off the Nevermore and looked around.

They were outside a cave that lead to the inside of a tall mountain, the nevermore squawked, making Jaune turn towards it,  _"Be careful my lords! The captors of our kind are no ordinary beings…"_

Jaune nodded, "I understand. Androids, I presume?"

 _"Y-yes! The Lord Arc is truly knowledgeable!"_  the Nevermore squawked out, looking surprised at him, he just smiled at her though.

 _"Yes, he truly is, Helen. Now, my lords, shall we enter?"_  Lancelot said,  _"I've done my best so that there would be no complications in your visit but I—"_

"No complications? No, Lancelot, let them see me." Jaune said with a smile,

_"M-my lord? But if you decide to do something while being seen then…"_

Jaune chuckled and shook his head, "This is Merlot we're talking about, as we speak, Weiss and I are already being tracked. There would be no point in hiding ourselves, everyone can detect each other anyways." he then turned around and frowned to the trees around them, "Now, I believe you should reveal your Androids at the very least, Merlot." At his words, Androids of different types started to appear out of the forest.

 _"T-They've been there the whole time?! I thought that we had secured this entrance to the cave!"_  Ignatius exclaimed, Jaune just ignored him and watched the Androids start to surround them, subtly spreading his own dark aura everywhere.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite subject… Alpha, have you come to see your creator?" a voice came out from one of the androids, and he inwardly grit his teeth.

Outwardly… he just had a blank face. "You're not my father, Merlot."

Merlot sighed, "Yes, that is true. A shame, it is. A shame… Oh! It seems you've brought another subject! Hmm… Willow is quite thorough in her work, I applaud her! However, I believe I can still improve it. Yes… improve my precious…"

"I believe that now is a good time for you to let us pass through peacefully, Merlot." Jaune said, gesturing around them before lowering his voice, "After all, I believe it would be bad for you if you were to somehow start full-scale war between all of Humanity and the Grimm…"

For a few seconds, there was silence. Before Merlot started laughing, "Do you truly believe that I would be killed in such a scenario?"

"Yes, actually." Jaune smiled, chuckling himself, "Because, if I remember correctly, if I interfere in your plans—those of which being related to her—then it would begin a war. Is that right, Lancelot?"

Jaune turned to Lancelot, seeing the Beowolf stare at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before nodding,  _"Yes my lord."_

"Then… if I'm correct, if  _you_  were to interfere with my plans—those in which I have no intention of interfering with yours—I believe it would be grounds for the war to erupt. Am I right, Weiss?" Jaune said, turning to Weiss by the end,

Weiss smiled, arms crossed, "Indeed you are right. After all, it should always work both ways, otherwise no one would agree to it."

"You fools! You act as though you are in a position of power, yet in truth you are only weaklings! If you dare, then I will—"

"Provoke us? Yes, do so. You are not the only one capable of attacking after all." Jaune said, narrowing his eyes.

"You're idiots! You truly think that you can beat her do you? If this—"

"No. We can't beat her now. We can guess that much." Jaune said, walking forward to the android which Merlot was using to speak through and grabbing it, whispering into it, "But Merlot… I think you're forgetting something. We may not be able to end her, but we will be able to end  _you_. After everything you've done to me and… and to Cinder… I will not give you a quick death."

Merlot was silent for a while, after a few seconds, Jaune scoffed and turned around before looking down at his scroll. Thirty minutes left. He clicked his tongue and looked up to Weiss to see her frown as she looked at her scroll as well.

He turned to Lancelot and Ignatius, "I'm sorry, but I believe I don't have enough time left. I'll have to return to Initiation and finish it."

 _"I… I see sire. Thank you for your efforts."_  Ignatius said, bowing his head to him.

Jaune shook his head, "No, I didn't do much. It was all mostly you… I suppose I'll have to thank you, Lancelot, for informing me of the situation. I don't think I would be able to act like I did now otherwise."

Lancelot stared at him for a few seconds, before slowly bowing.  _"I… it is my duty, my lord. I appreciate your concern for us."_  he said.

And finally, Jaune turned to Helen, the Nevermore. Helen stared at him with narrowed eyes. Jaune just chuckled with a shrug. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't offer us a ride back, preferably to the Initiation's relics, would you?"

Helen stared at him a little longer before shaking her head,  _"No, I would still offer it to you and the Lord Schnee. I am your servant, after all."_

Jaune nodded, feeling the dark aura suddenly come back to him. Stretching it out so far… he hadn't done that in a long time. "I see. I will have to thank you again, Helen." Then, he sighed, seeing all the androids suddenly collapse to the ground from the ground shaking. "I'd done it…"

Weiss hummed at him, "I'm quite surprised that Merlot wasn't able to detect that."

"Yeah… I didn't know what I would do if he found out." Jaune laughed, shaking a bit before watching the cave entrance, "Though… as stupid as that was, I'm happy it worked out." he said, when suddenly a large number of Grimm came out, Beowolves, Boarbatausks, some Ursai, and some Nevermores.

They all howled as they saw him and Weiss, many of them started to bow in front of him and Weiss, a lot of them expressed their thanks.

_"I-It's our Lords! They've come for us!"_

_"They look different, are they the descendants?"_

_"They are the ones prophesied by the Lord Arc herself!"_

_"But… the Arc is a male while the Schnee is a female. Something must have changed."_

_"They're not fully natural either… has Merlot done something to them?"_

_"My Lords! Thank you so much! What can we ever do to repay you?"_

Jaune sighed before clearing his throat, silencing the Grimm all around them.

He watched them all carefully before speaking… they were all loyal. That much he could see. So this is his heritage…?

After collecting himself a bit, he spoke, "I hope you'll all forgive me for how long I had took." he started, "I don't have much time now either, and I truly wish that I could stay here longer to talk with all of you, but… I have something important to tell you all so you may save other Grimm from Merlot's grasp. Will that be enough for you?"

One particularly young Ursa came up,  _"M-my Lord! Saving our lives are enough… we'd all be happy to accept anything! And if it is concerning the safety of our kin, we will gladly take the responsibility my lord!"_

At that, the Grimm started to roar in agreement, and Jaune couldn't help but laugh.

He closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again, this time frowning as he put on a serious tone, "Very well then, follow my words carefully."

And so he started to explain how they could get the others out themselves.

* * *

Jaune sighed as he looked down at his scroll, twenty minutes… he didn't know if there was enough time at this point. He looked ahead of him as they stood atop Helen's back, flying towards where the relics were. He didn't exactly expect that they'd overshoot so much that they would have passed the relics in the start...

"Jaune." He blinked as he heard Weiss say his name, he turned to her and raised a brow. They were back to their human forms now, and their clothes had turned back. He always wondered where exactly their weapons went whenever they shifted forms, but he didn't exactly feel like asking that kind of question now. "How did you know that Merlot wouldn't detect it?"

Jaune blinked at that, before chuckling and scratching the back of his head, "Well, my father had told me about it when he broke me out of Merlot's lab. I had to hide my Grimm Aura as much as possible, so that's why I thought it would work here. Didn't think that Merlot still wouldn't have had some way to distinguish between different Grimm Auras and whatnot…"

Weiss stared at him for a few seconds before humming, "It makes sense, I suppose. He hadn't had much situations where that proved useful, seeing as his androids seem rather powerful on their own."

"Yeah… I doubt it would work next time though, we can only hope that the Grimm somehow manage to make it work with their numbers…" Jaune muttered,

"At this point, the only problem would be the spies." Weiss said, and Jaune nodded,

"Yeah. I was worried, so I told Lancelot and Ignatius a few different things along with some backup plans."

Weiss hummed, and for the next few seconds, they were silent, then they landed in the ruins where the relics were. They picked up the last relic, a white knight, and looked back to Helen. Jaune saw Weiss frown, "I don't suppose we can finish Initiation with you… can we?"

Helen stared at Weiss, before she shook her head, paused, and nodded,  _"Well, actually… maybe you can. But first… I wish to give you two something… something which can help you communicate with us, my lords."_

Jaune blinked at that, "What is it?"

 _"My child… Hestia, she can aid you."_  Helen said, and, as if on cue, a small bird—well, a tiny Nevermore really—appeared out of her back.

Jaune blinked again, multiple times. "Oh."


	5. Introductions Are A Must (5)

Jaune and Weiss kicked off Helen, the Nevermore, as she suddenly stopped, they flew across the last gap between them and Beacon. They started to slow down, falling to the ground, but they were just high enough where they landed right on the cliff's edge, jumping a bit more to get to where Ozpin and the others were.

Jaune was going to turn around and check on the Nevermore, when he felt the simultaneously dark and bright aura that could only belong to one person. His mother, Agnes Arc.

He frowned, he'd known she was here lately, but he didn't know why… did she find out about what he did?

"Dark Aura," Weiss muttered beside him, and he looked at her, "Is that…?" she asked, glancing for a moment at him and his mother. He just smiled and chuckled.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious at this point." Jaune said, feeling his mother come closer towards them, so he turned around and smiled at her. "Hello, mother."

His mother had a frown on her face, glancing at his partner for a moment before smiling at him. "Hello dear, I see you've partnered with… her."

Jaune frowned, "Is that a bad thing?" he asked and his mother laughed.

She shook her head, "No dear, not exactly. It's just troublesome since now trouble will start following you both."

"Oh…?" Jaune asked, narrowing his eyes, "Is… is there anything you're not telling me, mother?" he asked, feeling a little betrayed. Had his mother known all this time? Then why was he not told of it before? Did his father know of it too? What does their name truly mean?

Seeing his sad look, his mother sighed and put a hand on his shoulders, "Jaune… forgive me, but… I have made a mistake."

"You hid my legacy from me even when you knew what I am now? Mother… just what am I—no, what are  _we_  really?" Jaune asked looking earnestly up at his mother.

His mother… she just sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, Jaune, but I don't have enough time to tell you everything right now." she said, gulping a bit before looking behind her to Ozpin, and Jaune could feel some hatred from her.

"Mother… it's not his fault." Jaune said, removing her hands from his shoulders and holding them.

She looked back at him and shook her head, "Believe me, Jaune, there's more he's at fault for than just this." she said, before letting go of his hands, "Now, I must get going. I cannot stay here much longer, and I know all about Merlot as well as your mother, Weiss, that and especially of Salem, the one who holds control of most Grimm nowadays… but I can't talk to you of all this now. For now, you must ask Ozpin. I've arranged it already, and he should be able to tell you what you need to know…" she said, glancing at Ozpin for a moment before scoffing, "Or if he's lazy, he'll just tell you to read a book or something." she muttered, turning back to them again. "I must get going now, and… for what it's worth, Weiss, I'm sorry for what your mother has become. I… am partially at fault for it."

At this, Jaune turned to look at Weiss, who was surprised for a moment, before nodding slowly, "I… I see. I understand, I cannot blame you for it, Mrs. Arc. I doubt much of anything would have changed for my mother…" she said, muttering the last part.

Jaune turned to his mother again, seeing her chuckle with a small smile, she walked forward and hugged them both for a moment. "I'm sorry that the two of you have been pulled into this… but I trust in your abilities. Even now, I believe the two of you are stronger than I am, but don't tell Ozpin that."

Jaune nodded, "Yes, mother." he said after she let them go, then a magpie suddenly flew to his shoulder, something his mother saw. He turned to look at it, and smiled, "Ah, this is Hestia… she's a messenger that has been given to us."

"A magpie… how fitting." his mother muttered, before shaking her head, "Very well, Hestia, I believe you know of Hermes?"

The magpie tilted its head for a moment before nodding.

His mother nodded then, "Good. If you ever need to speak to me, just tell Hestia to send a message to Hector."

Jaune nodded, "I will." then he smiled. "Thank you, mother."

At this, his mother was taken aback, she then laughed and shook her head. "Jaune… my dear just why do you thank me for the smallest things? You truly are like your father." she chuckled, before turning around to Ozpin and giving him a plastic smile. His mother, Agnes, certainly was something. "I'll be going now, Ozpin. Thank you for letting me see my son." she said, but then, he heard his mother speak again, he could barely hear it… "Just know that if you dare try anything again, Salem will be the least of your problems."

His mother… she really didn't hold back, did she?

Still, he loved her, and she cared for him very much. Even when he was at his worst… perhaps that was because she understood. Still, she was the best mother he could ever ask for.

Oh, he nearly forgot something.

"Mother, I have one last question." Jaune said, looking up at his mother, staring into her deep blue eyes,

Agnes raised a brow, "Oh? What is it dear?"

"Just… just who is father, really?" Jaune asked, unsure himself. He could tell that his mother and Weiss' mother were some sort of Royalty to the Grimm, but what of his father? He was strong, very much so… but in a very different way. His aura was also dark, but it was like that all the time.

He never even truly hid the fact that he wasn't human… for he never had a human form at all.

At that, Jaune's mother paused with a frown, shaking her head at him. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask him that yourself, dear." she said,

"Okay. I will. Good luck, mother." Jaune said, not mentioning the fact that his father never really answered that question and instead just patted his head with a smile. He also hardly ever spoke...

"Good luck as well, Jaune." Agnes grinned, before raising her hand up above her, a bright white light coming down from the skies, and suddenly, she disappeared.

Jaune stared at the ground where his mother was just at and wondered how she's even able to disguise her augmented abilities as her natural Semblance?

Oh right, she's not actually augmented like he was… his mother hadn't exactly been truthful about that one after all.

… Was he even an augmented Grimm Hybrid? He didn't know, after all his father had probably removed all of them…

He wouldn't be surprised.

"So that was Agnes Arc… the Arclight herself." Weiss muttered beside him, and he blinked remembering that they still had to finish Initiation.

Jaune chuckled, "Yeah, though I don't really understand the names people give her all that much. It almost sounds like a pun." Jaune said, walking to where Ozpin and the others were, "Here's the relic sir." Jaune said to Ozpin, giving him the white knight piece.

Ozpin took it and nodded, "Very well. Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, the two of you have done well in acquiring the White Knight piece. And with this, the Initiation has concluded, all students, please proceed to the Auditorium at 1300 hours. You're dismissed." he said, turning to the other students that were waiting, they all nodded, and some went away to go to the cafeteria.

Among them, they saw Ruby and Pyrrha, along with Yang and some dark haired girl. A faunus, from what Jaune can detect, though it seemed she was hiding it for some reason. He can respect that at least.

Jaune looked to Weiss, and she nodded, both of them heading over to where their, well, friends were.

One thing he was certainly surprised about his time in Beacon so far, was having friends.

At one point, he thought he'd never find friends again, mostly, ones his age, but here he was… making friends with a lot of people.

Even Weiss.

He knew it was too much to ask, especially after seeing the reality of everything… but he hoped this peace would last.

If anything, he'd gladly fight for it… he just hoped his parents would understand.

"Jaune! Where did you get this cute lil' birdie?!" Jaune was shook out of his thoughts as Ruby suddenly turned to him, "What's its name? What's its name?!"

Jaune blinked, before laughing as he looked to Hestia, placing a hand near where she was. Understanding what he was telling her to do, she jumped to his hand and he showed the bird to Ruby. "Well, this little girl here is Hestia. Weiss and I found her in some broken nest near the Giant Nevermore, I healed her and… well, now she's with us."

"Wow… That's so cool! Your semblance is healing?!" Ruby exclaimed, and Jaune just chuckled, shaking his head, "It's not? What is it then?! Is it something cool!?"

Jaune smiled, "Well, I guess so. It's Aura amplification, I enhance people's aural abilities by infusing them with my own. It's pretty cool, I guess."

"You guess?! Jaune that's like the most amazing thing ever!" Ruby exclaimed, staring at Hestia, hands twitching beside her.

"You want to hold her?" Jaune asked Ruby,

"I can?!" Ruby asked this time, staring at him with wide eyes,

"Yep." Jaune nodded, "Just be careful." he told her, and she nodded earnestly, "Alright, here you go." he said, handing over Hestia, "It's okay, she won't hurt you…" he said to the Nevermore disguised as a magpie.

It stared at him before nodding, then it moved over to Ruby's hand.

Ruby squealed in delight, "Ooh! You're such a cute birdie! Your feathers just remind me of Jaune! So cute!" Ruby said, carefully running her hand through Hestia's feathers.

Jaune chuckled, before looking to the others, "Hey Yang, Pyrrha, and uhh… Yang's partner." he said, smiling awkwardly at the dark haired girl with the black bow.

The girl rolled her eyes, "It's Blake. Blake Belladonna." Belladonna huh… I wonder why she didn't hide her name as well… "You?"

"Jaune Arc. Guess you guys got here earlier huh." he muttered,

"Yeah we did, but we didn't get here with nearly the amount of style that you two had." Yang said, sighing a bit, "Ruby, we really should have ridden the Nevermore all the way here."

"Eh?! But the Nevermore hated us… it wouldn't have worked out all that well… but at least this little birdie here loves us! You do, don't you Hestia? You're such a cute little birdie!" Ruby said, petting Hestia again, scratching the back of its head, squealing whenever it makes a sound. "So cute!"

Yang just look at her sister and sighed, "Wow… I thought she was just a little too attached to that one parrot but I never knew that she actually loved birds this much… Zwei will be sad, you know?"

"Eh? W-well it's okay! The two of them can play together! It's a dog and a bird, nothing bad can happen with that!" Ruby explained with a grin, and Yang just shook her head,

"Well then…" Jaune muttered, turning to Pyrrha but he saw her talking with his partner so he just let them be. He looked to the other two who seemed to stay with them, "Oh! Sorry I didn't notice you two… Hello?" Jaune asked the pair of green and pink, the guy in green having magenta eyes along with dark hair with a pink streak, and the girl in pink having light blue eyes and orange hair. "Is… everything okay?

The guy in green narrowed his eyes at him, "You have a dark aura…"

Jaune blinked, surprised for a moment, but not exactly being unused to this. "Oh. Yeah… kind of got that from my father."

"No… it's unnatural." the guy said, looking at him.

Jaune just smiled bitterly, "It's… a long story." he said, and at that, the guy in green's eyes softened.

"I see. Forgive me then, I'm Lie Ren, and this…" Ren said, turning to the girl beside him, who grinned and pumped her arms up.

"Nora Valkyrie! That's my name!" the girl, suddenly bubbly, said with a grin.

"Ah… nice to meet you guys then! I'm Jaune Arc!" Jaune said, smiling.

They both nodded, "A pleasure to meet you, Jaune." Ren said, smiling.

"Yeah! You have a cool bird—and you rode a Grimm all the way through Initiation! That was awesome!" Nora exclaimed with a grin, pointing at him all the while.

"Thanks. It was just a bit difficult to get control of the Grimm, but we somehow pulled through so there's that." Jaune shrugged, before glancing back to the others who were busy talking with one another and turning back to Ren and Nora. "Anyways, you guys went along with them to get here?"

"Yes. They helped us in defeating an old Deathstalker." Ren said,

Jaune's eyes widened slightly, "Oh wow."

"Yep! But I was the one that smashed it!" Nora said, grinning as she transformed her weapon into a large hammer, resting it on her shoulder.

"So!" Jaune and the others turned to Yang as she started speaking, she grinned, "Who's hungry?"

As if on cue, most of the group's stomachs started to rumble.

Yang's grin widened, "Guess that answers that then!"

* * *

"Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, the four of you have retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, the four of you shall work together as Team Sable." Ozpin said as they stood up on the stage. Weiss looked at the screen above, seeing the letters S, A, B and L appearing below their portraits in the order Ozpin spoke their names. The first letter represents the leader so… Her eyes widened, no, it can't be, right? "Led by, Weiss Schnee."

Weiss could only stare at Ozpin with wide eyes. "M…me?"

"Congratulations, Ms. Schnee." Ozpin said with a smile, and Weiss was speechless for a moment.

Why her? It didn't really make sense, she was sure they would have been able to see at least a portion of what Jaune did so… why her?

She wasn't complaining, but…

"Nice. Guess you're the team leader now, Weiss." Jaune said, "Congratulations." he said, patting her back, an action which caused her to blink at him before he smiled and shrugged.

"Mr. Arc, Ms. Schnee." Both of them turned to Ozpin as he spoke, "I believe we need to talk... Follow us when the ceremony is done, until then, the two of you shall wait here."

They nodded at Ozpin, "Understood sir." they both said simultaneously,

"Good, the rest of you may proceed to your rooms." Ozpin said and they headed off the stage, Glynda meeting them below.

"Team SABL, the schedule of your individual classes and team classes have been sent alongside the map of Beacon." Glynda said, looking through her scroll, "You may proceed to your rooms, just swipe your scrolls over the door and it should open. Any questions?" she asked, looking up at them.

Weiss looked through her team and saw them all shake their heads.

All but Yang, who started to speak, "So… since Jaune and Weiss over here have to talk with the Headmaster, Blake and I can head to our rooms right?"

"Yes, it would be best." Glynda said, nodding. "Any other questions?" After a few seconds of silence, Glynda spoke again, "Very well, you are dismissed."

Their team then looked at each other,

"We'll see you guys later." Jaune said, smiling at Yang and Blake.

"You don't want us to wait for you?" Yang asked with a raised brow,

Jaune shook his head, "No. I think it'll take a while, so it would be best if you guys go ahead for now."

"Any idea what it'll be about?" Yang asked, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

Weiss stepped in before Jaune could answer, "Private business. We can't release the details as of yet."

Yang blinked at that, "Jeez Weiss, I was just asking."

"I was just answering." Weiss answered, frowning. "I suppose if the two of you are going to do anything with the room, please inform us."

At that, Blake nodded, "We'll make sure to do so, let's go Yang." she said, pulling Yang.

"What? Hey Blake come on, I just wanted to ask what happened between them that took so long!" Yang said, voice fading as they walked out of the room.

Weiss frowned at them, staring at Blake for a few seconds before Jaune shook her from her thoughts.

"Hmm… At least they're lively." Jaune said, and she turned to him, blinking. "What?"

"You don't notice it?" Weiss asked,

"Blake? I doubt she's here for the White Fang." Jaune shrugged, leaning back against the wall and looking up to the slightly open ceiling.

Weiss knew that and yet… she wasn't sure. She knew that Blake was no threat to her, hardly anything was, at this point, but to those around her though…

"She's not here for you. If she was, then why would she use her name? A simple look at a history book could tell anyone who she is right away." Jaune said, reassuring her.

Weiss just sighed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

Her past with the White Fang wasn't exactly all that positive either… There was one thing for sure though, it was her father's fault.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be fine, Weiss." Weiss sighed, it was Jaune. "I'm sure Blake has her reasons. One thing I can say for sure is that she's not White Fang, if she was, then… she likely would have tried to get you to trust her. Besides, don't you think she's here just like us?" At that, she opened her eyes and stared at him, he smiled. "A new beginning…" he said before taking his hand off her shoulder and stepping back, "So, how do you feel?"

Weiss stared at him for a moment before scoffing, shaking her head, "Better. You certainly have a way with words."

Jaune laughed, "So I do. But eh, I kind of have to, seven sisters and all that. When everyone wants to have time with their brother, said brother needs to be good with words before they tear him apart."

She chuckled at that, "Seven sisters… that's quite something."

"Yeah… mother didn't want to settle for less." Jaune said, pausing as though he remembered something. "She really didn't give father a choice either..."

"I doubt someone like that would." She muttered, before she saw Ruby and her team come down from the stage, waving at the two of them.

"Hey guys!" Ruby came over with her teammates, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, in tow. "Ooh! Weiss, we're both team leaders! You gotta share me your tips!"

Weiss blinked, "Um… well, in that case I suppose it'd be best to ask Jaune a lot of your questions, seeing as he's more experienced than I am." she said, turning to Jaune.

"Oh he is? Ohhh! Right! Your mother totally made you into some fearsome general as training cuz you're an Arc!" Ruby exclaimed, turning to Jaune, "You gotta teach me your ways!"

Jaune blinked at this, before chuckling and scratching the back of his head, "Uh… yeah! Sure! I'd love to do that some time, but not right now though, Weiss and I are going to go talk with the Headmaster."

"Oh, okay! Anyways, what room are you guys in?" Ruby asked, tilting her head,

"Room 255, why?" Weiss answered, asking in turn,

"Oh! We're across each other! Ours is 256." Ruby said, smiling. "What're you guys gonna talk with the headmaster?"

"Private matters. It's not something we can talk about easily." Weiss answered,

"Ooh, secret agent stuff? Spicy!" The one who spoke those words weren't Ruby, but was Nora instead. "Yep! We'll keep your secret agent status a secret!"

"But we're not…" Weiss was about to reply before she remembered that with a girl like that, she likely won't care. "... Alright. I hope you guys can understand."

"Hmm… okay then. Good luck you guys! See you at dinner?" Ruby asked them,

Weiss looked to Jaune and he looked to her, he shrugged, so she turned to Ruby and gave an awkward smile, "If we can make it, yes."

"Alright. Good enough for me." Ruby said, nodding, "Alright team Rainbow! First order of business: let's go to our room and fix everything up!"

At that, Nora cheered while Pyrrha and Ren sighed. The two of them nodded at her and Jaune before going.

Weiss hummed, "An even livelier team… I worry for them." she said,

"We can only watch now, I guess." Jaune said, and she nodded,

"I suppose so…" Weiss muttered, before she turned around as she heard footsteps, finding the Headmaster walking towards them.

Ozpin smiled, "Now, I believe the two of you had some questions?"


	6. Knowledge is Key (1)

Jaune was quick to begin with the first question, something Weiss expected, seeing how anxious he was for answers lately. "What are we, really?" He asked, gesturing both to her and himself.

Ozpin hummed at that, nodding to himself, "A good question… follow me." he said, and both of them followed Ozpin, Glynda trailing just behind them.

Weiss had been wanting to ask the question herself, but seeing that this was something Jaune had been longing for, she stepped back for now. She still followed though, since she had questions of her own.

Ozpin started speaking again as they got out of the Auditorium. "First, an illusion barrier." she blinked as she heard that, turning to Jaune for a moment, but seeing his determined nod, she just watched as he stealthily extended his dark aura around them shrouding them in just the tiniest bit of it. Just enough to form an illusion barrier. "Very good. It seems that your father has been understating your abilities, as he always does. Regardless, the answer to your question, Mr. Arc, is not so simple."

"Nothing ever is…" Jaune muttered,

"That is true. But to make it simple, we can just say that both of you have Grimm blood." Ozpin explained, making Weiss blink,

"We've always had Grimm blood?" Weiss asked,

"Indeed. It is in your bloodlines as well. Down to your very first ancestor." Ozpin said, making them silent for a moment,

"So… are we Grimm or Human? Or—well, did our bloodline start as Grimm or not?" Jaune asked, and Weiss looked to Ozpin to answer as well,

"For the two of you… I can only say that you were born as both Grimm and Human. As for your bloodline, they were once pure Grimm. The purest and most noble of all Grimm-kind…" Ozpin muttered, "Though, if you truly wished to learn more about that, you can ask your father, Mr. Arc. He should know of this after all."

"I see." Jaune muttered and Weiss frowned,

"Headmaster… have you known about Merlot's involvement in the situation in the Emerald Forest?" Weiss asked, wanting to know if Ozpin had been expecting Jaune to get involved regardless.

Ozpin didn't answer for a few seconds, they just paused in front of the elevator going up the tower, he started speaking when the elevator opened up with a ding. "Yes, though it had been quite difficult to find anyone who could get through the barrier. The Grimm aren't cooperative either."

"I could imagine." Weiss said, going into the elevator with Jaune after Ozpin did, Glynda followed and closed the elevator, "Is that why you'd let us into Beacon?" she asked, even if Ozpin didn't answer, or even lie about it, she'd find some reason as to why they're here. That was enough.

"That's one of the reasons, I suppose." Ozpin muttered, "But no, it's more than that. Mr. Arc had requested of me to send the two of you here to Beacon."

Weiss blinked at that, "He'd known of my situation as well?"

"Mr. Arc is more than just a Hunter, Ms. Schnee. He… is many things." Ozpin said, staring into the distance, "But yes, regardless of where you went, you would have been referred to here. Mr. Arc is a quite… difficult person to decline a request from."

"I see…" Weiss nodded, looking to Jaune for a moment, he was staring at Ozpin. It seems he had a question.

"Headmaster…" Jaune started, looking up as the elevator door opened, all of them went out, but Ozpin paused before Jaune turning around to him, waiting for his question. "... just… who is my father, really? He's always been so important wherever we went, I try asking him but he never gives me an answer… What's more, he doesn't even have the kind of Aura most humans would normally." What? She'd never seen his father after becoming a hybrid but… "So is he… is he just a Grimm?"

At this, Ozpin was silent. Weiss just stared at him, waiting for the answer. After a few seconds, he sighed and turned to Glynda, "Glynda, please fetch me my coffee."

Glynda stared at the headmaster for a moment, before nodding, "Of course." she said, before going to the corner with the coffee maker.

Ozpin then walked to his table and sat down on the chair behind it. Weiss and Jaune waited until he got his coffee and took a sip, then he started to speak. "Jaune… you know that if your father hasn't answered you, I can't do so either. Not even your mother can get me to speak of such things."

Weiss frowned at that, seeing Jaune do so as well.

"But." at those words, Jaune looked at Ozpin hopefully, "I can answer the second question." Ozpin smiled, something that Weiss knew was a rare thing, not even when she spoke to him last night did he show this much emotion. "Are you sure you want to know, Jaune? This… while mostly harmless, may change the way you view your father."

Weiss turned to Jaune to see his reaction, he nodded resolutely. It seems he was firm with his decision. "If it's my father… then I will respect him no less than I already do." Hearing such words… Weiss felt just a bit jealous, she wished she knew what that felt like.

Loving and caring parents… Weiss could only wish for such a thing at this point.

"Very well then." she turned to Ozpin again, seeing him interlocking his fingers as he placed his elbows on his desk. "Jaune, your father… is the purest of all pure blood Grimm out there."

Weiss tensed at this, she didn't know why, but… knowing that, it made her scared. Such a Grimm would exist even now? How… what kind of bloodline would have such a thing?

No—more than that, what kind of pure Grimm would look exactly like a human? The only distinct features she can see with Jaune's father that made him different were his blood red eyes… eyes that, now that she thought about it, reminded her of the ones most Grimm had, especially those which they have when they change forms…

If that were the case… then it would explain many things.

Ozpin sighed, an action which shook her out of her thoughts, it seemed that Jaune was also deep in thought, of what, she couldn't possibly know. Maybe something about his family… he had seven sisters after all. "Now, I'd like to ask the two of you a question, and I hope that you would answer honestly…" at this, she and Jaune nodded, "Did the two of you interfere with Merlot's operations in the Emerald Forest?"

Weiss turned to Jaune to see how he'd answer the question. She wasn't in a position to answer herself after all… she'd done nothing but watch as he defused the situation… not as though she could have done much of anything either, but still, it made her feel a bit guilty.

"Yes. However, Merlot shouldn't have detected any of it." Jaune said, and Ozpin frowned,

"Anything else, Jaune?" at this, Jaune frowned and looked away for a moment,

"I… I instructed the Grimm how to get their kin out of the cages." Jaune said, and Weiss could see that he wasn't quite sure if he did the right thing or not.

Ozpin just watched him for a few seconds before he nodded, "Very well, thank you for being honest, Mr. Arc. I'm glad you took responsibility for the situation."

"I…"

"It's not quite easy to take control of a situation with that many followers… so the fact that you did what you did is a feat in and of itself. Nothing else happened, did there?" Ozpin asked, and Jaune shook his head, but paused midway,

"Ah… there's the Nevermore I'd disguised as a magpie. Hestia, she… I sent her off for now, letting her do as she pleased. I hope that it's okay." Jaune said, grimacing a bit. Weiss just chuckled at him.

It was interesting, Jaune tried hard to act cold and indifferent, but when pushed, he's a lot more sincere than expected. She appreciated that, it made speaking with him… surprisingly easy.

"It's okay, Jaune. Now then… I believe answering all the questions the two of you have would take much longer than a single meeting here, and I don't have nearly enough time for it, sadly, so I'll have to refer the two of you to the library." Ozpin said, and both of them nodded at that. "Just hand your scrolls over to the Librarian and you should then have access to the Eidos in your scrolls. It should have all the necessary information the two of you need." they nodded again and Ozpin smiled, "Any last questions?"

Weiss turned to Jaune and he shook his head, then Ozpin turned to her. Well, there was one question she had… but she wasn't quite sure if it needed to be asked. She sighed and asked it anyways, "Headmaster… why was I made the leader instead of Jaune? Is he not more fitting of the role than me?" she asked, looking into Ozpin's eyes.

Ozpin said nothing for a second before chuckling, "Well, that may be true, Miss Schnee… but the choice isn't always as obvious as you think." then, suddenly, Ozpin frowned, narrowing his eyes for a bit as he looked at both her and Jaune. "There is a war oncoming, and both of you will inevitably hold a big role in this… I am simply doing the best I can to prepare you both when that time comes."

"Then… why me? Would it not make more sense to prepare Jaune more?" Weiss asked, not understanding Ozpin's logic.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But I'm sure that you already know the low numbers of the Grimm following both of you. The two of you will not always be together, and this is in preparation for such an event where there will need to be two fronts." Ozpin said, before smiling, "Besides, was this not what you wished before, Miss Schnee? A team to lead and call your own?"

"That was before… I've changed since then." Weiss answered, glancing at Jaune for a moment before sighing. "For what it's worth, Headmaster, I hope that it never comes to that. A full-scale war… is not what Remnant needs now."

"I hope it never comes to that too, Miss Schnee." Ozpin nodded, before looking to Jaune, "Alright then. If there are no more questions for today, the two of you are dismissed."

Weiss and Jaune nodded, "Thank you sir." They both said simultaneously and went out of the office, going down the elevator.

Weiss looked at Jaune as he was deep in thought, she frowned, wondering about the kinds of things that go through his head, especially after… everything today.

She wasn't much better herself though, but it likely wouldn't be much compared to his thoughts, considering the circumstances…

What she was curious of was what he said when he was speaking with Merlot… it seemed that he wasn't the only one there, there was also this Cinder person… but just what was it all about though? She didn't think it would be wise to ask about it now, but she couldn't deny, she was curious.

Especially since it could likely reveal just what exactly she and Jaune really are…

Before she knew it, they were already by their dorm room. She looked up at the number and saw that it was the right one, and looked to Jaune questioningly, "You don't want dinner?"

"After everything? I don't think so… besides, it's not like we really need dinner anymore at this point." Jaune chuckled,

Weiss nodded, "I suppose that's true…" she muttered, watching as Jaune scanned his scroll through the door, opening it, "Jaune…" she said just before he opened it fully,

"Yes?" he turned to her, raising a brow.

"Since I'm going to be the team leader now… I'm going to need your help. Is that okay with you?" Weiss asked and Jaune laughed,

"Is that even a question? I'll help you no matter what." Jaune smiled,

"I see. Thank you then… and if you ever need my help, or just want to talk… I'm here as well." Weiss said, feeling the need to say those words.

Jaune paused, seemingly surprised, before he smiled sincerely, "Thanks… Weiss."

And with that, the two of them went into the dorm, and after seeing their two teammates already asleep, they both decided to be as silent as possible as they went to bed.

Eventually, Weiss was on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. She didn't need sleep, and neither did Jaune… but it was nice to have some rest every now and then. So she let out a breath and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep.

As usual, she dreamed of nothing.

Grimm don't dream after all.

* * *

Weiss awoke to the sound of a whistle.

Sleep wasn't so much sleep to her as it was more meditation to others. Perhaps it was the same way for Jaune… or it very likely was anyways. She wondered if they could still have actual sleep and not this.

Maybe they just didn't lower their consciousness enough…

Regardless of that, she was now awake, so she got up from her bed, wondering what the commotion was about. She looked about the room and everyone was just waking up with scrunched up faces, all but Jaune, that is, though he did look like he'd just woken up as he looked to her.

"Oh gods Ruby where did she get that whistle…" Yang groaned out, trying to get back to sleep as she pulled the covers over her head.

Well, that explains it, Weiss supposed. She turned to the other member of her team and saw that they weren't doing any better than Yang. Blake was up on her bed with an annoyed look on her face.

Weiss sighed, "Well, it's not like we're going to get some more sleep anytime soon…" she trailed off, looking to the scroll on her desk and seeing the time. 7:36 AM, "We have around an hour and a half till our first class, who's going to take the shower first?" At that, Blake grumbled, already moving to the shower with her uniform. Weiss just watched before nodding, "Blake takes the first one, who wants to go afterwards?"

"Me, I'm going to have to have some stern talking with Ruby about dorm manners…" Yang muttered, reluctantly getting out of her bed and cleaning it up. Weiss wondered why or how Yang still managed to keep her hair in good condition even when sleeping, she moved a lot after all… Perhaps she should be thinking of other things right now though.

"I'll go last." Jaune said while browsing through his scroll, he picked up an earphone from his drawer and tapped on the scroll before a face appeared there. "Good morning sis. Yes, I'm in Beacon already, hold on for a minute, I need to do something." he muttered, looking up to her and she just nodded wordlessly, making him nod in thanks. He then stood up and went out of the room, scroll still in front of him, "Yes, Joan, I'll tell you what happened—I'm okay, really, I am…" Weiss then stopped listening in to his conversation, her senses were greatly enhanced, so she could still hear the conversation from inside, she was sure he knew that as well, but she respected his privacy and didn't listen in on it.

Weiss turned to the window then and saw Hestia arrive with a letter attached to her leg. "Oh?" she muttered, opening the window for Hestia to come in and taking the letter off her.

"Hm? A letter?" Yang said from behind her, "I didn't know magpies were that smart…"

Weiss looked at the letter and saw the words printed in a perfect monospace font… sent to her specifically. She looked around the envelope and didn't see any other indicator for where it could have come from.

Though she could hazard a guess, she dearly hoped that it wasn't the case, but opening the letter… it was already clear where it came from.

_'To whom it may concern:_

_Recently there had been a large containment breach in the ward at Leon, Atlas. Willow Schnee has escaped the establishment. Currently we are seeking the assistance of the Military in recontaining the patient, but it may not be possible due to the damages which the ward had taken. We are notifying the family members of this due to the possible danger they may face._

_Sincerely,_

_Atlas Mental Ward'_

Weiss gripped the paper with her hands, gritting her teeth. She escaped. Her mother escaped. She didn't know what to think, but what she did know was that she had to tell Jaune's mother about this immediately—perhaps she already knew but it wouldn't hurt. Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before she noticed that in the tense moment she had, she'd already ripped the letter apart.

"W-Weiss?" Right, there was still Yang. "Are you okay?" she asked, and Weiss turned to her with a sigh, looking down at the ripped paper on the floor.

"No. Far from it." Weiss said, glaring at the paper, "This shouldn't concern you, so please…" she said, looking up to face Yang in the eye.

For a moment, Yang looked conflict, before she eventually sighed and nodded, "Right… if you ever want to talk…"

"Yes. I'll take that in mind, thank you." Weiss muttered, moving to clean the ripped paper and throwing it into the trash. For a moment, she contemplated burning it, but she didn't do so. It would be a chore to explain why she's able to do that.

Weiss heard the door opening and saw Jaune come in, he looked at her first and immediately, she knew what he was going to say.

"I'm fine." She said, not even waiting for him to speak, and in that moment, Blake came out of the bathroom in her uniform. Weiss looked to Yang, "Can I go before you for now? I… I need some time to think." Yang nodded, "Thank you." then, she walked into the bathroom with her uniform.

Jaune's hand was on her shoulder before she could go in though, "Weiss…" he muttered, and Weiss could only give a weak smile.

"Later." That was all she said before he let her go and she locked the door inside.

Her clothes dissipated as she used her dark aura and she walked into the shower. She closed her eyes as the warm water made contact with her skin.

Then she collapsed to her knees. She barely held it in, before she made a barrier inside and screamed.

She just wanted to have a normal life as a Huntress… and now her mother was out there again.

Was it too much to ask?

* * *

Yang stared at the bathroom door that was closed and at this point she could only wonder what was going on through Weiss' head. She hadn't really been able to see what the letter was all about, but it was likely something very personal to her. Even if she did see what was in the letter, what was she going to do? Ask about it?

No, she was more tactful than that… so she turned to Jaune and with the look on his face, he definitely knew of the situation. Probably at the same time as Weiss did. He sighed and shook his head before walking over to his bed and sitting on it silently.

"What happened?" Yang turned to Blake, seeing a frown on her face. And here she thought Blake would be the weirdest member in the team…

Yang smiled sadly and shook her head, "Weiss got a message that the birdie here delivered. Probably wasn't a good one, seeing her reaction to it…" she said, shrugging helplessly.

Blake just stared with a frown, before nodding, "I see…" she muttered before sitting down on her bed as she looked through her luggage and started organizing them.

Yang watched as she placed a large number of books into a convenient bookshelf by her corner. How she'd convinced the staff to give her one, she didn't know, and she wasn't going to ask anytime soon. Still, Yang narrowed her eyes, the reaction Blake gave… "Got a clue as to what it is?" Yang asked Blake, crossing her arms.

Blake paused as she finished placing one book, "Not my place to tell." she answered. Figures. "But… if you've looked at some of the past news on the Schnees, and maybe some new ones, you might find something."

Yang raised a brow at this, surprised that she was willing to tell her this much. "Oh?"

"Even if you do find something… it'll be difficult to understand." Blake said ominously, not even turning to face her but instead continuing to place her books on her shelf.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, feeling slightly annoyed with how cryptic she was being.

"You'll see." Blake left it at that, and Yang just sat there in thought afterwards.

In the end, she couldn't really blame Blake for how she's being so vague, this was something personal… and yet, why does she make it sound like it had many people involved?

Yang turned to Jaune to see him speaking with the bird, she was about to try to listen in on it before he nodded once and let the magpie fly away. Then, he turned to face her, making her jump a bit.

"A-Ah! Sorry, didn't mean to stare at you." Yang said. It was weird, he always noticed a lot of things that should normally out of his senses… it's like he had a sixth sense or something. It was almost creepy.

"It's fine." He answered, "Did you want to talk to me?" he asked, smiling a bit as he raised a brow.

Again, he really is rather unnerving. "Yeah, I wanted to ask if Weiss would be okay."

At that, Jaune blinked, almost surprised. "Well… yeah, I'd think so. Though I believe you're better off asking Pyrrha that question instead…" he trailed off, making Yang raise a brow again,

"Why? I thought you two were like close friends or something." Yang said, confused,

"No? We only became friends like… two days ago." What?

"But I thought you two knew each other?"

"Yeah, that was through different circumstances though…"

"What?" Yang blinked, and before Jaune could explain, the door to the bathroom opened and Weiss stepped out, she looked to all of them before nodding to Yang.

"You can go use the bathroom now, Yang." Weiss said, looking as indifferent as ever.

Yang was about to say something against that, but then remembered that either her or Jaune would have to go to the bathroom anyway. So she nodded and just went in, but not before turning to Jaune, "We'll talk about this later." she told Jaune and he nodded.

As she showered, there was only one main thought in her mind.

The next four years of Beacon—or maybe the next four years in general—are  _not_  going to be as simple as she'd thought.

Well… she did ask for an adventure.

She just didn't think there would be so much intrigue in it…

She just grinned instead. She can't go back now, after all.


End file.
